“Luo… Luo Yi, you… have you truly decided to go? As your father, I do hope you’ll go, but if you really don’t want to, I can think of another way.”
Seeing the girl suddenly change her attitude, Qin Junyin was caught off guard, almost unable to believe it.
He had thought he’d at least have to persuade her a bit more, maybe argue for quite some time before she’d agree.
Yet, as soon as the stone tablet was brought out, she agreed so straightforwardly—it was simply unexpected.
“Of course I’ve decided. After all… the ‘other way’ you mentioned, I bet it’s something like launching a war, threatening Xiyun Kingdom with force, right?”
“I’m not that impulsive.”
“I wouldn’t say that.”
“Uh… I admit, I was a bit rash earlier when dealing with the Hundred Demons, but this time, that’s not the case at all.”
“Fine, then why don’t you tell me—what exactly is your ‘other way’?”
“I actually have a backup plan. Luo Yi, aren’t your younger brothers and sisters also at the Ancient Kingdom Academy? If you truly don’t want to go, I can have them try instead, and later let you take their place…”
“Give it a rest. Even if the Xiyun Kingdom pretends not to notice, what about my siblings? They’re not fools, why would they just hand over their opportunity to someone else? What a joke.”
“I can compensate them.”
“Father, it’s not about compensation. It’s about favoritism. Even though I won’t fight them for the Heir Apparent, your plan is basically telling them: ‘I favor Qin Luoyi. No matter how hard you try, it’s useless. You’re only paving the way for her.’ Who could bear that?”
“But—”
“Even if you claim nothing will go wrong as long as you’re around, what about your other Imperial Consorts? Ever since my mother passed, none of them are favored, and now that you want to revive my mother, won’t that make things even worse for them? Do you really think they’ll just sit and wait for disaster?”
“Father, I know you’re doing all this because of Mother, but you have to think more carefully, don’t you?”
“Sorry… truly, I did not think it through enough…”
For a moment, it was hard to tell who was the parent and who was the child.
“Alright, enough with the stalling. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
Seeing that Qin Junyin was about to lapse into silence again, Qin Luoyi had no choice but to return to her aggressive tone, breaking the deadlock.
“It’s actually not difficult… I’ll arrange for you to enter the academy. Soon, the academy will hold the annual Four Nations Grand Tournament, with an age limit of under eighteen. All you have to do is finish in the top three.”
“And what does this have to do with that Secret Realm? If I recall, the tournament’s reward is just some pills or weapons, isn’t it?”
“There is a connection. Thanks to my persistent lobbying, this time the top three prizes have an extra reward on top of the usual ones.”
“An extra reward?”
“That’s right. The top three this time can choose any country’s Secret Realm and receive permission to enter. By then, you only need to choose the one in Xiyun.”
As Qin Junyin spoke, he tossed her a Command Token. On the front of the token, the characters “Qin Luoyi” were engraved, while the back shimmered with the “Chen” character in golden light.
“What is this?”
Feeling the pressure emanating from the ‘Chen’ character, the girl felt a strange sense of familiarity, as though she had encountered this power somewhere before.
“This is a token I specially asked Chen Muzhi for. I’ll arrange for you to become her Direct Disciple. That way, your chances of winning will be much higher. After all, the Ancient Kingdom Academy is full of geniuses—it’s best to be cautious.”
“Chen Muzhi? The younger sister of General Chen? No wonder this feels so familiar…”
The girl murmured, and an image flashed through her mind: a tall woman, gentle in appearance, but clad in chainmail.
Beneath her feet lay countless demon corpses, too many to number.
Not inferior to any man—this was the girl’s sole evaluation of her.
“But I remember, isn’t she stationed on the Western Frontier? When did she go to the Ancient Kingdom Academy?”
“That was before. She’s now in charge at the academy, acting as principal. You just need to focus on your studies.”
“Is that so? I’ve heard she’s quite gentle in daily life, and not condescending toward juniors. Not bad. But… I still have a question for you.”
“Go ahead, my daughter.”
“If, when the time comes, someone else claims the Secret Realm’s inheritance, or I fail to gain the recognition of that senior, what then?”
“Just do your best… Above all, keep yourself safe. Do you understand?”
“Alright, I understand. So, should I depart immediately?”
“Hey, no rush. Spend a few more days with your father. There’s still half a year until the tournament, no need to be hasty.”
“Heh… I’d rather use that time for more cultivation…”
With that, she turned to leave.
“Luo… Luo Yi! Are you really so heartless as to abandon your father?”
He reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Ugh, let go of me. You’re so annoying.”
“Uuuu, my darling daughter, my precious girl…”
Just as she was about to leave, she heard her father’s pitiful voice.
Remembering the undignified way this ruler of a nation had just acted, her heart softened.
Oh well.
Whatever else, he’s still my father.
My mother died early, and though he has other Imperial Consorts, most were married off due to the pressure of the old ancestors, just for the sake of heirs.
I’ve been away for years, and this attitude isn’t going to change things.
“Seven days. I’ll stay at home for at most seven days, alright?”
In the end, she couldn’t go against her conscience and decided to keep her father, this “lonely old man,” company.
“Good! Good! Since you’ve spoken, Luo Yi, I’ll throw a grand feast—we’ll eat together for seven whole days!”
With that, Qin Junyin became lively as if injected with chicken blood, bouncing away from the Star-Gazing Platform.
“Hey! Wait, wait a second—seven days of feasting, don’t overdo it!!”
No matter how much Qin Luoyi shouted, it was useless.
All she could do was hold her forehead and sigh helplessly.
“Seriously, I give up. I should’ve just left. He’s no youngster anymore and still acts like this. I really don’t know what my mother saw in him all those years ago. Is this what they call complementary personalities?”
“Then again, it’s the same with me and Xiao Yun. Compared to his quiet, sometimes philosophical nature, I’m much more talkative, yet I was drawn to him at first glance.”
“Maybe it’s just his unique ability that makes me feel naturally close to him.”
“But, honestly, I do rather like him.”
“But… ugh, what am I thinking about? This is pointless. Forget it, forget it—just a waste of time.”
She’d question herself, then deny it, then confirm, then refute—all her attempts to figure out her feelings ended in failure.
So, she simply gave up, cast those thoughts aside, and turned her gaze to Lu Qi, who was still standing there. Her expression cooled.
“Lu Qi, why are you still here?”
There was no reply.
The old man just stood there in a daze, leaving Qin Luoyi baffled.
“Strange, did you lose your mind?”
Of course, it wasn’t because she didn’t respect her teacher that she spoke this way.
She knew that before, when teaching her medicine, Lu Qi always held something back—teaching seven parts, withholding three.
It was clearly intentional, yet he’d claim it was “a master leads you to the door; cultivation depends on yourself.”
But this time, when it came to passing on the upper-level Star Divine Power, he didn’t keep it for himself but handed it over to Qin Junyin.
That simply made no sense.
“Did he finally get over his stinginess after so long? Or did he realize his growth all these years was thanks to the Qin clan’s nurturing and now he plans to submit completely?”
Sarcastic words poured out, both openly and implicitly calling him opportunistic and fickle.
Still, the white-haired elder remained silent, hunched over and staring at his toes, his eyes dull.
Seeing that Lu Qi was uncharacteristically unresponsive, Qin Luoyi was about to continue her ridicule, but then, she laughed at herself.
“Ah, really, why am I even bothering with you? A teacher who shirks his responsibilities… Still, since you did teach me a fair bit of medicine, I’ll reluctantly help you treat this brain problem of yours.”
She raised her hand, about to pat his shoulder, but paused mid-air, thinking for a moment, and finally decided against playing the good disciple.
“Forget it. On second thought, my medical skills are limited. You’d better look after yourself. Even if a physician cannot treat himself, with your skills, there should be no issue.”
With that, Qin Luoyi stepped onto her magic artifact and left the Star-Gazing Platform without looking back, ending the one-sided conversation.
***
Long after the girl had left, Lu Qi, who remained, suddenly snapped back to his senses, breaking out in a cold sweat.
He looked around for someone, his expression oddly twisted.
“Strange? I remember His Majesty said he’d protect me, but now he’s nowhere to be found… Could it be…”
He subconsciously closed his eyes and looked inside himself.
He saw two blood-red powers, like flood dragons, coiling through his spiritual sea, frolicking and breathing in delight.
“Good, good, good! No wonder His Majesty left—the True Dragon Qi has already become mine. Sevenfold Perfection and two strands of True Dragon Qi—hahaha, I truly am something, truly!”
With wild laughter, he strode away.